Ratiometric transmit path architecture for communication systems

ABSTRACT

A ratiometric transmit path architecture for communication systems and related methods are disclosed. This ratiometric transmit path architecture utilizes a single local oscillator signal and dividers to provide mixing signals for intermediate frequency (IF) mixing circuitry and feedback mixing circuitry, thereby eliminating the need for separate IF and radio frequency (RF) voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) in prior solutions.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of the followingco-pending application: application Ser. No. 10/880,483 filed on Jun.30, 2004, and entitled “RATIOMETRIC CLOCK SYSTEMS FOR INTEGRATEDRECEIVERS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS,” which is hereby expresslyincorporated by reference in its entirety. This application also claimspriority to co-pending provisional application: Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 60/619,345 filed Oct. 15, 2004, and entitled “RATIOMETRICTRANSMIT PATH ARCHITECTURE FOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS,” which is herebyexpressly incorporated by reference in its entirety. This Application isalso related to concurrently filed application Ser. No. ______ entitled“WEIGHTED MIXING CIRCUITRY FOR QUADRATURE PROCESSING IN COMMUNICATIONSYSTEMS.”

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to transmit path architecture for communicationsystems and, more particularly, to transmit path circuitry for wirelesscommunication chip sets.

BACKGROUND

Radio frequency (RF) communication systems are used in a wide variety ofapplications such as television, cellular telephones, pagers, globalpositioning system (GPS) receivers, cable modems, cordless phones,radios and other devices that receive RF signals. RF receivers typicallyrequire frequency translation or mixing. Two-way wireless communicationsystems include receive path circuitry and transmit path circuitry. Inprior solutions, this circuitry has been integrated into a plurality ofintegrated circuits and included within the system as a wirelesscommunication chip set. With respect to the transmit path circuitry forsuch systems, intermediate frequency (IF) architectures have been used,where the baseband signal from a digital signal processor (DSP) is firstconverted to IF and then transmitted within the frequency band of thewireless communication network using offset phase lock loop (offset PLL)circuitry. With respect to cellular phone wireless communicationnetworks, for example, the frequency bands can be around 850 MHz and 900MHz for GSM cell phone networks, 1800 MHz for DCS cell phone networks,and 1900 MHz for PCS cell phone networks. Channel spacing in these cellphone networks is 200 kHz.

FIG. 2 (prior art) is a block diagram of an example architecture 200 fortransmit path circuitry including an IF voltage controlled oscillator(VCO) 202, a transmit (TX) VCO 128 and an RF VCO 204. When the device istransmitting, I and Q baseband signals 107 are received from a digitalsignal processor (DSP) by the IF mix circuitry 220. The IF mix circuitryutilizes the IF VCO 202 to convert the I and Q signals to IF. The output112 of IF mix circuitry 220 then goes to offset loop feed-forwardcircuitry 122. This offset loop feed-forward circuitry 122 will comparethe phases of the signal 112 from the IF mix circuitry 220 with a signal114 from the feedback mix circuitry 224. The offset loop feed-forwardcircuitry 122 will then use the phase difference between these signalsto tune the TX VCO 128 to produce an output signal (OUTPUT) 105 at adesired frequency of a transmit channel within the frequency band forthe communication network. The feedback mix circuitry 224 receives theoutput signal 105 and mixes the frequency down using the RF VCO 204 anda channel signal (CHANNEL) 127. The output signal 114 is then providedas feedback to the offset loop feed-forward circuitry 122. One problemwith this prior architecture, where integration of the transmit pathcircuitry is attempted, is interference among the IF VCO 202, the TX VCO128 and the RF VCO 204. In particular, spurs caused by the IF VCO 202can be problematic and can significantly degrade performance,particularly when they fall within receive bands for GSM cellularcommunication networks.

One prior solution to this IF VCO 202 interference problem was to adjustthe IF for certain troublesome receive channels. In other words, for afirst set of transmit channels, the IF VCO 202 would be tuned to a firsttransmit IF. And for a second set of transmit channels, the IF VCO 202would be tuned to a different IF. In this way, troublesome interferencecould be reduced by simply moving the position of the potentialinterfering frequencies caused by the IF VCO 202. This solution,however, is cumbersome in that it requires an IF VCO 202 that must beadjusted to multiple IFs. And this solution still utilizes both an RFVCO 204 and an IF VCO 202.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a ratiometric transmit path architecturefor communication systems and related methods. This ratiometric transmitpath architecture utilizes a single local oscillator signal and dividersto provide mixing signals for IF mixing circuitry and feedback mixingcircuitry, thereby eliminating the need for separate IF and RF VCOs inprior solutions. As described below, other features and variations canbe implemented, if desired, and related methods can be utilized, aswell.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It is noted that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplaryembodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be consideredlimiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equallyeffective embodiments.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram for a communication system including transmitpath circuitry and receive path circuitry.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram for a ratiometric transmit path architecture.

FIG. 2 (prior art) is a block diagram of an example architecture fortransmit path circuitry typically implemented on multiple integratedcircuits.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed block diagram of an example embodiment fortransmit path circuitry including example numbers of the dividercircuitry.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram for quadrature generation and combinercircuitry utilizing weighted mixing circuitry.

FIG. 4B is a circuit diagram for a single-ended embodiment relating toFIG. 4A for quadrature generation and combiner circuitry utilizingweighted mixing circuitry, where a final divide-by-five divider isutilized.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram for a differential embodiment relating toFIG. 4A for quadrature generation and combiner circuitry utilizingweighted mixing circuitry, where a final divide-by-five divider isutilized.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment for quadraturegeneration and combiner circuitry utilizing weighted mixing circuitry.

FIG. 6B is a circuit diagram for a single-ended embodiment relating toFIG. 6A for quadrature generation and combiner circuitry utilizingweighted mixing circuitry, where a final divide-by-five divider isutilized.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram for a differential embodiment relating toFIG. 6A for quadrature generation and combiner circuitry utilizingweighted mixing circuitry, where a final divide-by-five divider isutilized.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a ratiometric transmit path architecturefor communication systems and related methods. This ratiometric transmitpath architecture utilizes a single local oscillator signal and dividersto provide mixing signals for IF mixing circuitry and feedback mixingcircuitry, thereby eliminating the need for separate IF and RF VCOs inprior solutions. As discussed in more detail below, with the presentinvention, the separate IF VCO can be eliminated, and multiple dividercircuits provide an advantageous degree of freedom in selecting valuesfor those divider circuits.

It is noted that as used herein, a “radio frequency” or RF signal meansan electrical signal conveying useful information or carrier and havinga frequency from about 3 kilohertz (kHz) to thousands of gigahertz(GHz), regardless of the medium through which such signal is conveyed.Thus an RF signal may be transmitted through air, free space, coaxialcable, fiber optic cable, etc.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram for a communication system 100 includingtransmit path circuitry 104 and receive path circuitry 106. In thewireless embodiment depicted, antenna circuitry 102 receives an RF inputsignal, for example, from a cellular base station. The receive pathcircuitry receives the signal 103 from the antenna circuitry 102 andprovides an output signal 109 to DSP circuitry 108. It is noted thatvarious architectures could be used for the receive path circuitry 106.One example architecture is a low-IF architecture where the input RFsignal 103 is first converted down to low-IF (e.g., about 200 kHz) andthen digitized with a band-pass analog-to-digital converter. Additionaldigital filtering and channel selection can then be accomplished withinthe DSP circuitry 108. In addition, control signals 101 can be used tohelp control the receive path processing. When information istransmitted, the DSP circuitry 108 provides a signal 107 to the transmitpath circuitry 106. The transmit path circuitry 106 processes thisinformation and provides output signal 105 to antenna circuitry 102. Theoutput signal 105 is at a desired frequency within the frequency band ofthe communication network within which the communication system 100 isoperating. A variety of architectures could be utilized for thistransmit path circuitry 104. As with the receive path processing,control signals 101 can be used to help control the transmit pathprocessing.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an example embodiment for the ratiometrictransmit path circuitry 104. Significantly, rather than having both anIF VCO 202 and an RF VCO 204, as in the traditional solution depicted inFIG. 2 (prior art), the ratiometric transmit path circuitry 104 of thepresent invention includes the local oscillator (LO) VCO 130. Withrespect to FIG. 1B, when the device is transmitting, I and Q basebandsignals 107 are received from a digital signal processor (DSP) by the IFmix circuitry 120. The IF mix circuitry utilizes a mixing signal fromdivider (÷N) 132 to convert the I and Q signals to IF. The output 112 ofIF mix circuitry 120 then goes to offset loop feed-forward circuitry122. This offset loop feed-forward circuitry 122 will compare the phasesof the signal 112 from the IF mix circuitry 120 with a signal 114 fromthe feedback mix circuitry 124. The offset loop feed-forward circuitry122 will then use the phase difference between these signals to tune theTX VCO 128 to produce an output signal (OUTPUT) 105 at a desiredfrequency of a transmit channel within the frequency band for thecommunication network. The feedback mix circuitry 124 receives theoutput signal 105 and mixes the frequency down to a channel relatedfrequency using a mixing signal from divider (÷G) 134. The channelrelated output signal 114 is then provided to the offset loopfeed-forward circuitry 122. The dividers 132 and 134 receive as an inputthe LO signal (f_(LO)) 116 from shared LO circuitry 126. The shared LOcircuitry 126 utilizes the channel signal (CHANNEL) 127 to tune an LOVCO 130 thereby producing the LO signal (f_(LO)) 116 at a desiredchannel related frequency. This transmit path circuitry is deemedratiometric because the mixing signals used by IF mix circuitry 120 andthe feedback mix circuitry 124 are each based upon the same startingfrequency and are divided versions of that starting frequency. As such,this architecture eliminates the IF VCO 202 utilized in the priorsolution of FIG. 2 (prior art).

FIG. 3 is a more detailed block diagram of an example embodiment fortransmit path circuitry 104 including example numbers for dividers 132and 134. In the embodiment depicted, the LO signal (f_(LO)) 116 isgenerated by a phase lock loop (PLL). An external reference oscillator(f_(REF)) 330 is utilized with a frequency of 26 MHz. It is noted thattypical GSM solutions today utilize either 13 MHz or 26 MHz referenceclocks, but other clock frequencies could be utilized if desired.Divider (÷K) 332 receives the reference signal from reference oscillator330 and provides an update signal (f_(UD)) to phase detector (PDet) 334.The output of phase detector 334 passes through low pass filter (LPF)336 and then to the LO VCO 328. The output of LO VCO 328 is the LOsignal (f_(LO)) 116 that is provided as an input to dividers 132 and134. This LO signal (f_(LO)) 116 is passed through divider (÷b) 340 anddivider (÷L) 338 before being provided as the other input to phasedetector (PDet) 334.

With respect to the IF mix circuitry, the I and Q baseband signals 107are received by mixers 302 and 304, which provide outputs to combiner306. As depicted, the mixers 302 and 304 utilize mixing signals (f_(IF))provided from divider (÷N) 132 and weighted mixing circuitry (notshown). The weighted mixing circuitry is described in more detail below.It is noted, however, that other embodiments could be utilized. Forexample, if traditional I and Q mixing signals were generated fromdivider (÷N) 132 that were 90 degrees out of phase, mixer 302 wouldreceive an I mixing signal, mixer 304 would receive a Q mixing signal,and mixers 302 and 304 would not be required to utilize the weightedmixing circuitry set forth below. Looking back to FIG. 3, the channelsignal (CHANNEL) 127 is utilized to select the value for divider (÷L)338, which determines the frequency of the LO signal (f_(LO)) 116 and,thereby, ultimately the frequency of output signal 105. The LO signal(f_(LO)) 116 is provided to the IF mix circuitry through divider (÷N)132 and to the feedback mix circuitry through divider (÷G) 134.

With respect to the feedback mix circuitry, the output (f_(FB)) from thedivider (÷G) 134 is provided to mixer 318 through low pass filter (LPF)322, which can be used to filter out undesired harmonics of the feebacksignal (f_(FB)). Mixer 318 receives the transmit output frequency(f_(TX)) 105 as its other input. The output of mixer 318 is providedthrough band-pass filter 320 to the phase detector (PDet) 310.

With respect to the offset loop feed-forward circuitry that produces theoutput signal 105, the output from combiner 306 is provided throughband-pass filter 308 to the phase detector (PDet) 310. The phasedetector (PDet) 310 compares the phase of this input with the feedbackinput 114 from band-pass filter 320 and produces an output signal thatis passed through low pass filter 312 to the TX VCO 314. The output ofTX VCO 314 is then passed through divider (÷T) 316 to produce the outputsignal 105.

It is noted that the values for the dividers and other circuitry withinFIG. 3 can be selected to achieve the performance parameters desired.The tables below provide example expressions representing the outputfrequencies for the circuitry of FIG. 3 and provide example values forthe dividers and other circuitry which together provide advantageousresults with respect to performance. In part, the following factors canbe considered in selecting the divider values: (1) reduce spurs inundesirable frequency bands including the receive frequency bands forthe communication network in which the ratiometric transmit circuitry isoperating; (2) reuse the LO signal (f_(LO)) 116 for the receive path;(3) make the transmit path IF reasonably low; (4) make the externalcrystal reference frequency (f_(XTAL)) divided by K (F_(XTAL)/K) (i.e.,the update frequency (f_(UD)) in FIG. 3) reasonably high to improvesettling time; (5) have the transmit IF be relatively constant over fourcellular communication network bands, namely GSM (800 and 900 MHz), DCS(1800 MHz) and PCS (1900 MHz), and (6) utilize a 13 MHz or 26 MHzexternal crystal reference oscillator because of current cost savingsfor such crystal reference oscillators.

With respect to the divider values in FIG. 2, it is noted that the basicexpression being considered in selecting values is the following:f _(TX)=((G+N)/GN)(Lb/K)f _(XTAL) =PC,

where P represents an integer associated with the desired transmitchannel, and where C represents the channel spacing. In developingsolutions to this equation, positive values for the integers (G, N, L,K, b) can first be considered. Positive integer solutions correspond tolow side injection. It is also noted that solutions with negative valuesof N are acceptable. Such solutions correspond to high side injection.It is also noted that in identifying solutions to the above equation, Pcan be made equal to L, and preferably P will be equal to L. TABLE 1that follows includes example expressions that represent the ratiometrictransmit architecture of FIG. 3. TABLE 2 and TABLE 3 that follow belowthen provide sets of example values for these expressions. TABLE 1EXPRESSIONS FOR FIG. 3 Circuit Expression for Output Frequency Divider(÷T) 316 f_(TX) = f_(TXVCO)/T = f_(FB) + f_(IF) f_(TX) = (f_(LO)/G) +(f_(LO)/N) = ((G + N)/GN)f_(LO) f_(TX) = ((G + N)/GN)(Lb/K)f_(XTAL)Output of f_(LO) = (NG/(G + N))f_(TX) LO VCO 130 (f_(LO)) f_(LO) =(Lb/K)f_(XTAL) Output of f_(TXVCO) = Tf_(TX) TX VCO 128 (f_(TXVCO))Divider (÷N) 132 f_(IF) = f_(LO)/N = (G/(G + N))f_(TX) Divider (÷G) 134f_(FB) = f_(LO)/G = (N/(G + N))f_(TX) Output of Reference f_(XTAL) =external oscillator Oscillator 330 (f_(REF)) Divider (÷K) 332 f_(UD) =f_(XTAL)/K Divider (÷L) 338 f₃₃₈ = f_(LO)/bL Divider (÷b) 340 f₃₄₀ =f_(LO)/b

TABLE 2 below provides example values that could be selected for theexpressions in TABLE 1 and the dividers within the ratiometric transmitarchitecture of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the divider (÷T) 316 is setto “4” and the output of TX VCO 128 is about 4 GHz; therefore, theoutput frequencies are in a range near 1 GHz. Thus, with respect tocellular phone communication networks, the values in TABLE 2 would beutilized, for example, with 850 MHz and 900 MHz GSM cellular phonenetworks. TABLE 2 FIRST SET OF EXAMPLE VALUES FOR FIG. 3 Expression forOutput Circuit Value Frequency Divider (÷T) 316 4 f_(TX) = ¼ (f_(TXVCO))= f_(FB) + f_(IF) f_(TX) = (f_(LO)/20) + (f_(LO)/15) f_(TX) =(7/60)f_(LO) Output of About 8 GHz f_(LO) = (60/7)f_(TX) LO VCO 130(f_(LO)) adjusted by f_(LO) = (6L/91)f_(XTAL) channels Output of About 4GHz f_(TXVCO) = 4f_(TX) TX VCO 128 adjusted by (f_(TXVCO)) channelsDivider (÷N) 132 15 f_(IF) = f_(LO)/15 = (4/7)f_(TX) Divider (÷G) 134 20f_(FB) = f_(LO)/20 = (3/7)f_(TX) Output of Reference 26 MHz f_(XTAL) =26 MHz Oscillator 330 (f_(REF)) reference frequency Divider (÷K) 332 91f_(UD) = f_(XTAL)/91 Divider (÷L) 338 channel f₃₃₈ = f_(LO)/6L dependentDivider (÷b) 340 6 f₃₄₀ = f_(LO)/6

TABLE 3 below provides another set of example values that could beselected for the expressions in TABLE 1 and the dividers within theratiometric transmit architecture of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, thedivider (÷T) 316 is set to “2” and the output of TX VCO 128 is about 4GHz; therefore, the output frequencies are in a range near 2 GHz. Thus,with respect to cellular phone communication networks, the values inTABLE 2 would be utilized, for example, with PCS (1900 MHz) and DCS(1800 MHz) cellular phone networks. TABLE 3 SECOND SET OF EXAMPLE VALUESFOR FIG. 3 Expression for Output Circuit Value Frequency Divider (÷T)316 2 f_(TX) = ½ (f_(TXVCO)) = f_(FB) + f_(IF) f_(TX) = (f_(LO)/6) +(f_(LO)/15) + f_(TX) = (7/30)f_(LO) Output of About 8 GHz f_(LO) =(30/7)f_(TX) LO VCO 130 (f_(LO)) adjusted by f_(LO) = (3L/91)f_(XTAL)channels Output of About 4 GHz f_(TXVCO) = 2f_(TX) TX VCO 128 adjustedby (f_(TXVCO)) channels Divider (÷N) 132 15 f_(IF) = f_(LO)/15 =(2/7)f_(TX) Divider (÷G) 134 6 f_(FB) = f_(LO)/6 = (5/7)f_(TX) Output ofReference 26 MHz f_(XTAL) = 26 MHz Oscillator 330 (f_(REF)) referencefrequency Divider (÷K) 332 91 f_(UD) = f_(XTAL)/91 Divider (÷L) 338channel f₃₃₈ = f_(LO)/3L dependent Divider (÷b) 340 3 f₃₄₀ = f_(LO)/3

It is noted that a single communication system can be designed foroperation in multiple communication networks and their respectivefrequency bands. For example, the divider (÷T) 316, as well as the otherdividers and circuits in FIG. 3, can be utilized to modify the outputfrequency such that it is within the operational band of a desirednetwork. These values can be set, for example, through on-chipconfiguration registers, if desired. In addition, it is noted that theexample architecture set forth in FIG. 3, as well as the expressions andvalues set forth in TABLE 1, TABLE 2 and TABLE 3, should be consideredas examples only. Modification and variations could be made, if desired,while still taking advantage of the ratiometric transmit patharchitecture of the present invention.

It is further noted that the divider circuitry in FIG. 3 could bemodified, if desired. For example, the dividers, such as divider (÷N)132, could be implemented as divider/multiplier combinations. Withrespect to divider (÷N) 132, for example, a multiplier (×M) could beimplemented, such that the circuitry provides an M/N signal operation.If such a solution were desired, the multiplier (×M) circuitry could bepositioned between divider (÷N) 132 and the mixers 302 and 304, and thecombined processing of the divider (÷N) 132 and the multiplier (×M)circuitry would be an M/N operation. This multiplier (×M) circuitry canbe implemented as a phase locked loop (PLL) with a VCO that takes theinput signal and multiplies it by an integer M. Still further, a seconddivider (÷N2) could be positioned between the multiplier (×M) circuitryand the mixers 302 and 304. Such a divider could be utilized, forexample, where N is an odd number, and it is desired that the finaldivider stage be a divide-by-two or a divide-by-4. In this case, M andN2 could be selected to match so that the output becomes M/(N*N2) orsimply 1/N. It is also noted that any combination of dividers andmultipliers can be utilized, as desired. Thus, in implementing thedivider circuitry in FIG. 3, and more specifically divider (÷N) 132, avariety of solutions can be realized including the use of multipliercircuits in combination with divider circuits.

In the above embodiments of TABLE 2 and TABLE 3, a value of 15 isselected for divider (÷N) 132. If the divider output phases are used forIF mixing signals, this value will result in IF mixing signals thatdiffer in phase by an amount other than 90 degrees. As such, traditionalquadrature mix processing alone will not achieve the desired result frommixers 302 and 304. With respect to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5, 6A, 6B, 6C and 7,weighted mixing circuitry is described that allows for quadratureprocessing where the I and Q mixing signals differ by an amount otherthan 90 degrees.

The following equation provides a general exponential expression forup-conversion when mixing I and Q baseband signals with traditional Iand Q mixing signals that are 90 degrees out of phase.e ^(jωt) ∘e^(jθ)=cos(ωt)cos(θ)−sin(ωt)sin(θ)+j[cos(ωt)sin(θ)+sin(ωt)cos(θ)]  [EQ 1]

The following equation represents a trigonometric expression for thisideal mixer output.I cos(ωt)−Q sin(ωt)  [EQ 2]

With the mixing signals of the present invention not being 90 degreesout of phase, a traditional mixer output would be represented by thefollowing equation where 2+represents the difference between 90 degreesand the phase difference between the I and Q mixing signals. (It isnoted that in the examples below 2φ is 18 degrees.)I cos(ωt−φ)−Q sin(ωt+φ)  [EQ 3]

What is desired, therefore, is to achieve a result that is similar totraditional quadrature processing even though non-traditional mixingsignals of the present invention are utilized. Thus, it is desirablethat the following equation be satisfied.(aI+bQ)cos(ωt−φ)−(bI+aQ)sin(ωt+φ)=I cos(ωt)−Q sin(ωt)  [EQ 4]Equation 4 can be rewritten as follows.I[a cos(ωt−φ)−b sin(ωt+φ)]−Q[a sin(ωt+φ)−b cos(ωt−φ)]=I cos(ωt)−Qsin(ωt)  [EQ 5]Solving for expressions in Equation 5, the following equations arereached:[a cos(ωt−φ)−b sin(ωt+φ)]=cos(ωt)a cos(cot)cos(φ)+a sin(cot)sin(φ))−b sin(ωt)cos(φ)−bcos(ωt)sin(φ)=cos(ωt)(a cosφ−b sinφ)cosωt+(a sinφ−b cosφ)sinωt=cosωt  [EQ 6A];and[a sin(ωt+φ)−b cos(ωt−φ)]=sin(ωt)a sin(ωt)cos(φ)+a cos(ωt)sin(φ)−b cos(ωt)cos(φ)−b sin(ωt)sin(φ)=sin(ωt)(a cos φ−b sin φ)sin ωt+(a sinφ−b cosφ)cos ωt=sin ωt[EQ 6B]Equation 6A can only be satisfied with: (a cos φ−b sin φ)=1 [EQ 7A] and(a sin φ−b cos φ)=0 [EQ 8A]; and Equation 6B can only be satisfied with:(a cos φ−b sin φ)=1 [EQ 7B] and (a sin φ−b cos φ)=0 [EQ 8B], thena sin φ=b cos φb/a=tan φ[EQ 9]

Thus, for a particular φ, which will typically depend upon the laststage divider utilized to produce the mixing signals, values for a and bcan be identified that will satisfy Equation 9 or at least approximate asolution to this equation, and integer approximations for a and b arethe preferable solution to Equation 9 for purposes of implementingweighted mixing circuitry. For example, with respect to the examplesbelow where φ is 9 degrees, the solution for Equation b/a=tan φ wasapproximated with a value of 19 for “a” and a value of 3 for “b.” This19/3 approximation for a/b is within about 0.5 percent of an idealsolution to Equation 9 when φ is 9 degrees. As stated below, theaccuracy desired for a/b can be modified depending upon the applicationand precision desired.

Based upon the above analysis, weighted mixing circuitry can beimplemented to process signals with I and Q mixing signals that differby an amount other than 90 degrees yet still produce a resulting signalthat is the same as if true quadrature I and Q mixing signals wereutilized. FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5 provide one example embodiment forup-conversion where I and Q baseband signals are weighted in the mixingcircuitry. FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 7 provide another example embodiment forup-conversion where I and Q mixing signals are weighted in the mixingcircuitry. It is noted that other combinations could be utilized ifdesired and still take advantage of the weighted mixing architecture ofthe present invention. In this way, arbitrary divider values can beutilized in generating the mixing signals. Allowing arbitrary dividervalues provides a significant advantage over prior architectures where90 degree offset I and Q mixing signals were needed for quadraturemixing.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram for quadrature generation and combinercircuitry 400 that utilizes weighted mixing circuitry 402 and 404, wheredivide-by-2 and divide-by-4 circuitry is not being utilized as the finalstage of the divider. In particular, the LO frequency (f_(LO)) 116 isreceived by divider 132. In traditional quadrature generation circuits,a divider value of divide-by-2 or divide-by-4 are used to simplifyimplementations for producing output signals that are 90 degrees out ofphase. For the purposes of this embodiment and the quadrature generationcircuitry of the present invention, the divider 132 can be implementedby arbitrary divider circuitry that does not provide a divide-by-2 or adivide-by-4. More particularly, with respect to the present invention, avalue can be utilized for divider 132 such that the real path outputsignal (f_(IIF)) 407 and the imaginary output signal (f_(QIF)) 408,which are utilized for mixing, are not 90 degrees out of phase. Asdiscussed further below, weighted mixing circuitry 402 and weightedmixing circuitry 404 are utilized to process input IF mix signals thatare at an arbitrary phase difference and to produce the output signals403 and 405 that are then combined to provide the IF mix output signal(f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT)) 112. The weighted mixing circuitry 402 receivesreal path output signal (f_(IIF)) 407 and the baseband I and Q signals107 as inputs, and the weighted mixing circuitry 402 outputs signal 403to combiner 406. The weighted mixing circuitry 404 receives imaginarypath output signal (f_(QIF)) 408 and the baseband I and Q signals 107 asinputs, and the weighted mixing circuitry 404 outputs signal 405 tocombiner 406. The combiner 406 combines signals 403 and 405 to producethe combined IF mix output signal (f_(Mix) _(—) _(OUT)) 112.

FIG. 4B is a circuit diagram for a single-ended embodiment forquadrature generation and combiner circuitry 400 utilizing weightedmixing circuitry, where a final divide-by-5 divider is utilized. Inparticular, the LO frequency (f_(LO)) 116 is first received by divider410, which is selected to have a divide-by-3 (÷3) value, and then bydivider 412, which is selected to have a divide-by-5 (÷5) value. It isnoted that these two dividers 410 and 412 together represent the divider(÷N) 132 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, and the two dividers 410 and 412 providea combined divide-by-15 (÷15). Because the divider 412 is a divide-by-5(÷5) divider, the outputs from this divider 412 are spaced at 72 degreephase intervals. In the embodiment depicted, the real path output signal(f_(IIF)) 407 and the imaginary path output signal (f_(QIF)) 408 areselected from divider (÷5) 412 to be 72 degrees apart. The weightingmixing circuitry 402 and the weighting mixing circuitry 404 in effectcause a resulting signal at the mix output node (f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT))112 that is the same as if traditional quadrature processing had beenperformed.

To accommodate the phase difference between the signals 407 and 408,weighted circuits are utilized. Looking to weighted mixing circuitry402, the I signal is input to a current source 422 having a weight of19, and the Q signal is input to a current source 424 having a weight of3. The current sources 422 and 424 are connected to the source oftransistor 430 to provide a combined current I′ represented by 19I+3Q.The gate of transistor 430 receives the real path output signal(f_(IIF)) 407. The drain of transistor 430 provides the output signal403 and is coupled to mix output node (f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT)) 112. Lookingto weighted mixing circuitry 404, a negative version of the I signal isinput to a current source 426 having a weight of 3, and an negativeversion of the Q signal is input to a current source 428 having a weightof 19. The current sources 426 and 428 are connected to the source oftransistor 432 to provide a combined current −Q′ represented by −19Q−3I. The gate of transistor 432 receives the imaginary path outputsignal (f_(QIF)) 408. The drain of transistor 432 provides the outputsignal 405 and is coupled to mix output node (f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT)) 112.Through the use of weighting mixing circuitry 402 and 404, the combinedoutput signals 403 and 405 provide an output signal that is the same asif traditional quadrature processing had been performed. It is notedthat the 3 and 19 weightings are generated by varying the number andsize of the transistors within the respect current sources 422, 424, 426and 428. It is also noted that the 19/3 weighting is an approximation.Depending upon the accuracy desired for the application involved,different ratios can be utilized. And even for a given desired accuracy,there may be multiple ratios that could be utilized.

It is also noted that the weightings selected are dependent upon thephase difference between the two IF input signals and can be adjusted ifdifferent divider values and phase differences are utilized. It is alsonoted that as described with respect to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 7, theweighted mixing circuitry could provide weighting to the IF mixingsignals from divider 132, as opposed to the baseband signals. Inaddition, weighting could be provided to both the IF mixing signals andthe baseband signals, if desired. In addition, the divider circuitry 132could be implemented with different circuitry, if desired. The twodividers 410 and 412 depicted in FIG. 4B are intended only as an examplesolution.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram for a differential embodiment 500 forquadrature generation and combiner circuitry utilizing weighted mixingcircuitry, where a final divide-by-five divider is utilized. In thisembodiment, the real path IF output signal (f_(IIF)) 407 becomes adifferential signal represented by real path positive signal (IIFP) 502Pand real path negative signal (IIFN) 502N. The imaginary path outputsignal (f_(QIF)) 408 becomes a differential signal represented byimaginary path positive signal (QIFP) 504P and imaginary path negativesignal (QIFN) 504N. Transistors 512A and 514A receive the real pathpositive signal (IIFP) 502P at their gates, and transistors 512B and514B receive the real path negative signal (IIFN) 502N at their gates.In this embodiment, the I and Q signals also become differential signalsrepresented by positive real baseband signal IBP, negative real basebandsignal IBN, positive imaginary baseband signal QBP, and positiveimaginary baseband signal QBN.

Current source 506P is connected to the sources of transistors 512A and512B, receives the positive real baseband signal IBP as an input, and isweighted 19. Current source 508N is connected to the sources oftransistors 512A and 512B, receives the positive imaginary basebandsignal QBP as an input, and is weighted 3. Current source 506N isconnected to the sources of transistors 514A and 514B, receives thenegative real baseband signal IBN as an input, and is weighted 19.Current source 508P is connected to the sources of transistors 514A and514B, receives the negative imaginary baseband signal QBN as an input,and is weighted 3. The drains of transistors 512A and 514B are coupledto the positive output (IOUTP) signal node 510P. And the drains oftransistors 512B and 514A are coupled to the negative output (IOUTN)signal node 510N. Current source 526P is connected to the sources oftransistors 516A and 516B, receives the negative imaginary basebandsignal QBN as an input, and is weighted 19. Current source 528N isconnected to the sources of transistors 516A and 516B, receives thenegative real baseband signal IBN as an input, and is weighted 3.Current source 526N is connected to the sources of transistors 518A and518B, receives the positive imaginary baseband signal QBP as an input,and is weighted 19. Current source 528P is connected to the sources oftransistors 518A and 518B, receives the positive real baseband signalIBP as an input, and is weighted 3. The drains of transistors 516A and518B are coupled to the positive output (IOUTP) signal node 510P. Andthe drains of transistors 516B and 518A are coupled to the negativeoutput (IOUTN) signal node 510N. The output nodes 510N and 510P providea differential mix output signal for use by other transmit pathcircuitry. It is again noted that the 3 and 19 weightings are generatedby varying the number and size of the transistors within the respectcurrent sources 512A, 512B, 514A, 514B, 516A, 516B, 518A and 518B. Andit is also again noted that the weightings selected are dependent uponthe phase difference between the two input signals and can be adjustedif different divider values and phase differences are utilized.

The weighted mixing circuitry of the present invention, therefore,allows for non-traditional and arbitrary last-stage dividers to providea result similar to a traditional quadrature mixing process. Rather thanuse last-stage divider circuitry that produces output signals thateasily provide mixing signals that are differentiated by 90 degrees inphase, such as divide-by-2 or divide-by-4 dividers, other more arbitrarydividers can be utilized. In the examples depicted, a divide-by-5 blockis utilized as the last stage prior to the IF mix circuitry. Thisdivide-by-5 block, therefore, produces signals differentiated by 72degrees in phase. It is noted that other last stage divider values couldalso be used with appropriate changes to the weights used within theweighted mixing circuitry 402 and 404. It is further noted that whilethis weighted mixing solution of the present invention suffers asignal-to-noise (SNR) penalty due to the weighted mixing, the presentinvention advantageously allows for the use of arbitrary divider valuesin quadrature generation.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment for quadraturegeneration and combiner circuitry 600 that utilizes weighted mixingcircuitry 602 and 604, where divide-by-2 and divide-by-4 circuitry isnot being utilized as the final stage of the divider. In particular, theLO frequency (f_(LO)) 116 is received by divider 132. As stated above,in traditional quadrature generation circuits, a divider value ofdivide-by-2 or divide-by-4 are used to simplify implementations forproducing output signals that are 90 degrees out of phase. For thepurposes of this embodiment and the quadrature generation circuitry ofthe present invention, the divider 132 can be implemented by arbitrarydivider circuitry that does not provide a divide-by-2 or a divide-by-4.More particularly, with respect to the present invention, a value can beutilized for divider 132 such that the real path output signal (f_(IIF))407 and the imaginary output signal (f_(QIF)) 408, which are utilizedfor mixing, are not 90 degrees out of phase. As discussed further below,weighted mixing circuitry 602 and weighted mixing circuitry 604 areutilized to process input IF mix signals that are at an arbitrary phasedifference and to produce the output signals 403 and 405 that are thencombined to provide the IF mix output signal (f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT)) 112.The weighted mixing circuitry 602 receives real path output signal(f_(IIF)) 407, imaginary path output signal (f_(QIF)) 408, and thebaseband I signal 107A as inputs, and the weighted mixing circuitry 602outputs signal 403 to combiner 406. The weighted mixing circuitry 604receives real path output signal (f_(IIF)) 407, imaginary path outputsignal (f_(QIF)) 408 and the baseband Q signal 107B as inputs, and theweighted mixing circuitry 604 outputs signal 405 to combiner 406. Thecombiner 406 combines signals 403 and 405 to produce the combined IF mixoutput signal (f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT)) 112.

FIG. 6B is a circuit diagram for a single-ended embodiment forquadrature generation and combiner circuitry 600 utilizing weightedmixing circuitry, where a final divide-by-5 divider is utilized. Inparticular, the LO frequency (f_(LO)) 116 is first received by divider410, which is selected to have a divide-by-3 (÷3) value, and then bydivider 412, which is selected to have a divide-by-5 (÷5) value. It isnoted that these two dividers 410 and 412 together represent the divider(÷N) 132 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, and the two dividers 410 and 412 providea combined divide-by-15 (÷15). Because the divider 412 is a divide-by-5(÷5) divider, the outputs from this divider 412 are spaced at 72 degreephase intervals. In the embodiment depicted, the real path output signal(f_(IIF)) 407 and the imaginary path output signal (f_(QIF)) 408 areselected from divider (÷5) 412 to be 72 degrees apart. The weightingmixing circuitry 602 and the weighting mixing circuitry 604 in effectcause a resulting signal at the mix output node (f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT))112 that is the same as if traditional quadrature processing had beenperformed.

To accommodate the phase difference between the signals 407 and 408,weighted circuits are utilized. Looking to weighted mixing circuitry602, the I signal is input to a current source 630 having a weight of19, and a negative version of the I signal is input to current source631 having a weight of 3. The current source 630 is connected to thesource of transistor 622, and the current source 631 is connected to thesource of transistor 624. Transistor 622 is weighted 19× and receivesthe real path output signal (f_(IIF)) 407 at its gate. Transistor 624 isweighted 3× and receives the imaginary path output signal (f_(QIF)) 408at its gate. The drains of transistors 622 and 624 are combined toprovide the output signal 403 and are coupled to mix output node(f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT)) 112. Looking to weighted mixing circuitry 604, theQ signal is input to a current source 632 having a weight of 3, and anegative version of the Q signal is input to a current source 633 havinga weight of 19. The current source 632 is connected to the source oftransistor 626, and the current source 633 is connected to the source oftransistor 628. Transistor 626 is weighted 3× and receives the real pathoutput signal (f_(IIF)) 407 at its gate. Transistor 628 is weighted 19×and receives the imaginary path output signal (f_(QIF)) 408 at its gate.The drains of transistors 626 and 628 are combined to provide the outputsignal 405 and are coupled to mix output node (f_(MIX) _(—) _(OUT)) 112.As stated above, through the use of weighting mixing circuitry 602 and604, the combined output signals 403 and 405 provide an output signalthat is the same as if traditional quadrature processing had beenperformed. It noted that the 3× and 19× weightings are generated byvarying the number and size of the transistors that make up transistors622, 624, 626 and 628 and by varying the number and size of thetransistors within the respect current sources 630, 631, 632 and 633.

It is noted that the embodiment of FIG. 6B can be modified to producethe embodiment of FIG. 4B. To make this modification, the source oftransistor 622 is connected to the source of transistor 626, andtransistors 622 and 626 are combined into a transistor of weight 22. Thesource of transistor 624 is connected to the source of transistor 628,and transistors 624 and 628 are combined into a transistor of weight 22.These modifications will yield the circuit embodiment of FIG. 4B. Asindicated below, the weighted mixing circuitry of the present inventioncan be realized in a wide variety of implementations.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram relating to FIG. 6B for a differentialembodiment 700 for quadrature generation and combiner circuitryutilizing weighted mixing circuitry, where a final divide-by-fivedivider is utilized. In this embodiment, the real path IF output signal(f_(IIF)) 407 becomes a differential signal represented by real pathpositive signal (IIFP) 720P and real path negative signal (IIFN) 720N.The imaginary path output signal (f_(QIF)) 408 becomes a differentialsignal represented by imaginary path positive signal (QIFP) 722P andimaginary path negative signal (QIFN) 722N. In this embodiment, the Iand Q signals also become differential signals represented by positivereal baseband signal IBP, negative real baseband signal IBN, positiveimaginary baseband signal QBP, and positive imaginary baseband signalQBN.

The sources of transistors 712A and 712B receive the positive realbaseband signal IBP through current source 702P having a weight of 19.The sources of transistors 713A and 713B receive the negative realbaseband signal IBN through current source 702N having a weight of 19.The sources of transistors 714A and 714B receive the positive imaginarybaseband signal QBP through current source 704P having a weight of 3.The sources of transistors 715A and 715B receive the negative imaginarybaseband signal QBN through current source 704N having a weight of 3.The sources of transistors 716A and 716B receive the negative realbaseband signal IBN through current source 703N having a weight of 3.The sources of transistors 717A and 717B receive the positive realbaseband signal IBP through current source 703P having a weight of 3.The sources of transistors 718A and 718B receive the negative imaginarybaseband signal QBN through current source 705N having a weight of 19.The sources of transistors 719A and 719B receive the positive imaginarybaseband signal QBP through current source 705P having a weight of 19.The gates of transistors 712A, 713B, 714A and 715B receive the real pathpositive signal (IIFP) 720P. The gates of transistors 716B, 717A, 718Band 719A receive the imaginary path negative signal (QIFN) 722N. Thegates of transistors 716A, 717B, 718A and 719B receive the imaginarypath positive signal (QIFP) 722P. The gates of transistors 712B, 713A,714B and 715A receive the real path negative signal (IIFN) 720N.Transistors 712A, 712B, 713A, 713B, 718A, 718B, 719A and 719B areweighted 19×. Transistors 714A, 714B, 715A, 715B, 716A, 716B, 717A and717B are weighted 3×. The drains of transistors 712A, 713A, 714A, 715A,716A, 717A, 718A and 719A are coupled to the positive output path IOUTP710P. The drains of transistors 712B, 713B, 714B, 715B, 716B, 717B, 718Band 719B are coupled to the negative output path IOUTN 710N. The outputnodes 710 and 710P provide a differential mix output signal for use byother transmit path circuitry.

As stated above, the weighted mixing circuitry of the present invention,therefore, allows for non-traditional and arbitrary last-stage dividersto be utilized to provide a result similar to a traditional quadraturemixing process. Rather than use last-stage divider circuitry thatproduces output signals that easily provide mixing signals that aredifferentiated by 90 degrees in phase, such as divide-by-2 ordivide-by-4 dividers, other more arbitrary dividers can be utilized. Inthe examples depicted, a divide-by-5 block is utilized as the last stageprior to the IF mix circuitry. This divide-by-5 block, therefore,produces signals differentiated by 72 degrees in phase. It is noted thatother last stage divider values could also be used with appropriatechanges to the weights used within the weighted mixing circuitry 602 and604. It is further noted that while this weighted mixing solution of thepresent invention suffers a signal-to-noise (SNR) penalty due to theweighted mixing, the present invention advantageously allows for the useof arbitrary divider values in quadrature generation.

It is noted that the embodiment of FIG. 7 can be modified to produce theembodiment of FIG. 5. To make this modification, as represented by thedotted lines, the sources of transistors 712A, 712B, 714A and 714B areconnected together; the sources of transistors 713A, 713B, 715A and 715Bare connected together; the sources of transistors 716A, 716B, 718A and718B are connected together; and the sources of transistors 717A, 717B,719A and 719B are connected together. In addition, the transistors 712Aand 714A are combined into a transistor of weight 22; the transistors712B and 714B are combined into a transistor of weight 22; thetransistors 713A and 715A are combined into a transistor of weight 22;the transistors 713B and 715B are combined into a transistor of weight22; the transistors 716A and 718A are combined into a transistor ofweight 22; the transistors 716B and 718B are combined into a transistorof weight 22; the transistors 717A and 719A are combined into atransistor of weight 22; and the transistors 717B and 719B are combinedinto a transistor of weight 22. These modifications will yield thecircuit embodiment of FIG. 5. As indicated below, the weighted mixingcircuitry of the present invention can be realized in a wide variety ofimplementations.

In addition, it is noted that FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5, 6A, 6B and 7 provideexample embodiments for implementing the weighted mixing circuitry ofthe present invention and other implementations could be utilized, ifdesired. For example, with respect to the differential embodiments ofFIGS. 5 and 7, other differential implementations could be utilized thatare based upon the single ended implementations of FIGS. 4B and 6B. Toget from the single ended implementations to the differentialimplementations, for example, alternate designs could be provided bymaking this transition in different ways, such as by (1) keeping allnodes the same, (2) inverting the gate drive signals and drain outputsfor the transistors, (3) inverting the source drive signals and thedrain outputs for the transistors, and (4) inverting the source drivesignals and inverting the gate drive signals. In short, the weightedmixing circuitry of the present invention can be implemented in a widevariety ways, including both single ended and differential solutions.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of this invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Itwill be recognized, therefore, that the present invention is not limitedby these example arrangements. Accordingly, this description is to beconstrued as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching thoseskilled in the art the manner of carrying out the invention. It is to beunderstood that the forms of the invention herein shown and describedare to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments. Various changesmay be made in the implementations and architectures. For example,equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated anddescribed herein, and certain features of the invention may be utilizedindependently of the use of other features, all as would be apparent toone skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description ofthe invention.

1. Ratiometric transmit path circuitry for a communication system,comprising: mixing circuitry configured to convert I and Q basebandinput signals to a combined output signal at an intermediate frequency(IF); transmit circuitry coupled to receive the combined IF signal fromthe mixing circuitry and to output a transmit signal at a desired outputfrequency; oscillator circuitry configured to output a local oscillator(LO) signal; first divider circuitry coupled to receive the LO signaland to output an IF mixing signal to the mixing circuitry; and seconddivider circuitry coupled to receive the LO signal and to output amixing signal to the transmit circuitry.
 2. The ratiometric transmitpath circuitry of claim 1, wherein the transmit circuitry comprisesoffset phase lock loop (PLL) circuitry.
 3. The ratiometric transmit pathcircuitry of claim 1, wherein the first divider circuitry is configuredto provide a divide-by-15 and the second divider circuitry is configuredto provide a divide-by-20.
 4. The ratiometric transmit path circuitry ofclaim 1, wherein the first divider circuitry is configured to provide adivide-by-15 and the second divider is configured to provide adivide-by-6.
 5. The ratiometric transmit path circuitry of claim 1,wherein the output of the oscillator circuitry is configured to be 30/7of the output of the transmit circuitry, the output of the first divideris configured to be 2/7 of the output of the transmit circuitry, and theoutput of the second divider is configured to be 5/7 of the output ofthe transmit circuitry.
 6. The ratiometric transmit path circuitry ofclaim 5, wherein the output of the transmit circuitry is configured fora PCS or DCS cellular phone communications network, or a combinationthereof.
 7. The ratiometric transmit path circuitry of claim 1, whereinthe output of the oscillator circuitry is configured to be 60/7 of theoutput of the transmit circuitry, the output of the first divider isconfigured to be 4/7 of the output of the transmit circuitry, and theoutput of the second divider is configured to be 3/7 of the output ofthe transmit circuitry.
 8. The ratiometric transmit path circuitry ofclaim 7, wherein the output of the transmit circuitry is configured fora GSM cellular phone communications network.
 9. The ratiometric transmitpath circuitry of claim 1, wherein the oscillator circuitry comprisesphase lock loop (PLL) circuitry including a phase detector.
 10. Theratiometric transmit path circuitry of claim 9, wherein the phasedetector receives a first input signal provided by a reference frequencypassed through third divider circuitry and receives a second inputsignal provided by an output feedback signal passed through fourthdivider circuitry.
 11. The ratiometric transmit path circuitry of claim10, wherein the reference frequency is 26 MHz and wherein the thirddivider circuitry is configured to provide a divide-by-91.
 12. Theratiometric transmit path circuitry of claim 10, wherein the fourthdivider circuitry comprises divider circuitry configured to allowchannel selection and divider circuitry configured to allow selectionamong multiple communication networks.
 13. The ratiometric transmit pathcircuitry of claim 11, wherein the fourth divider circuitry comprisesdivider circuitry configured to allow channel selection and dividercircuitry configured to allow selection among multiple communicationnetworks.
 14. The ratiometric transmit path circuitry of claim 1,wherein the first divider circuitry or the second divider circuitry orboth comprises a combination of at least one multiplier circuit (xM) andat least one divider circuit (÷N) such that an M/N operation isperformed.
 15. A method for transmitting signals for a communicationsystem, comprising: mixing I and Q baseband input signals with anintermediate frequency (IF) mixing signal to generate a combined outputsignal at an IF; converting the IF signal to a transmit signal at adesired output frequency utilizing a second mixing signal; generating alocal oscillator (LO) signal; utilizing divided versions of the LOsignal to provide the IF mixing signal and to provide the second mixingsignal.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the converting stepcomprises utilizing an offset PLL to convert the IF signal to a transmitsignal.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the output of the transmitsignal is configured for a GSM, PCS or DCS cellular phone communicationsnetwork, or a combination thereof.
 18. The method of claim 15, whereinthe generating step comprises utilizing phase lock loop (PLL) circuitryto generate the LO signal.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising selecting a channel by adjusting the output of the PLLcircuitry.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising selectingamong multiple communication networks by adjusting the output of the PLLcircuitry.
 21. The method of claim 18, further comprising generating areference frequency for the PLL circuitry by passing a 26 MHz signalthrough divide-by-91 divider circuitry.
 22. The method of claim 15,wherein the utilizing step comprises utilizing a divide-by-15 version ofthe LO signal as the IF mixing signal and a divide-by-20 version of theLO signal as the second mixing signal.
 23. The method of claim 15,wherein the utilizing step comprises utilizing a divide-by-15 version ofthe LO signal as the IF mixing signal and a divide-by-6 version of theLO signal as the second mixing signal.
 24. The method of claim 15,further comprising generating at least one divided version of the LOsignal at least one multiplier circuit (×M) and at least one dividercircuit (÷N) to perform an M/N operation.